Friday, 28 November 2008

Friday

We've been quite busy this week, and I haven't got much knitting done. It's funny how it goes - last weekend that first sleeve practically flew off the needles, yet I have hardly done more than a couple of inches on the second sleeve during the whole of this week. And I'm not going to post a picture of that, it truly isn't worth looking at.

I had a nice package arrive during the week, though. If you don't want to see a picture of the last Blue Moon sock club yarn for 2008, then don't scroll down. Otherwise....

This is the first time that I have actually said 'Oooh!' on opening the packet. I believe that it is my favourite of all the colours so far, and as usual my photo does not do it justice. The name of the colourway is 'Muddy Autumn Rainbow', and it is akin to the Blue Moon Rare Gems, in that the skeins will all be rather different. This one is particularly beautiful, I think.

Even better - if that's possible! - is the fact that the pattern is by Anne Hanson. I love her work, so this is a real treat.

I am looking forward to getting some socks done for myself, definitely. I now have all six of the 2008 club yarns lined up on my shelf, together with the last one for 2007. I shall get the current travel sock out of the way, and get on with them!

On another note, we currently have two spinning wheels in the house. This is because I am looking after a Guild wheel, which is going to be purchased by someone that I met at the knitting group at That Shop. I will take it along with me to the December meeting and hand it over.

The wheel in question is a Wee Peggy like my wheel, and it is really very pretty indeed. It is a lovely colour and has a beautiful shine on it, really a lovely little thing. It is a bit more recent than mine, but still an original Rappard wheel - the difference is that this wheel has been cared for, and mine has not been, over the years.

I don't know a lot about the history of my wheel, but I do know that it had been in storage for some years. When I bought it (for £60) it was dusty and very dry - absolutely parched for oil and polish - and the drive wheel was somewhat warped, so that it waved to and fro as it went round and round. It was missing all the bits for Scotch Tension (which is why I learnt to spin using double drive) and it only had two bobbins, both of which had the central grommets missing so that they rattled around spectacularly on the spindle. And there was no orifice hook.

We cleaned it up, we oiled it, I found that the nice man at P&M Woolcraft could make me some nice new bobbins and a new tension peg, I bought a new orifice hook and my husband made it fit the hole in the table of the wheel - and it looks very different. The drive wheel is still warped, but it runs silently and the drive band stays on, so really I don't mind. It spins very nicely.

However there was just one thing. Basically, it was not pretty. It was orange. A nasty, dusty looking, unpleasant orange colour. I've been told that the finish that had been used on the wood had discoloured over the years, and this was the result. Not shiny, despite all my polishing. It always looked dull and dry. And orange.

Anyway, having this new pretty little wheel in the house - which was not my wheel! - was something of a spur here. I wanted my wheel to look pretty, too. And my husband suggested that we do just that.

So, we took my wheel to pieces (that was interesting, I can tell you!) and my husband gave it several coats of proper finishing stuff, and then followed this with a coat of clear wax. It looks so much better!

If the sun was shining today, you could see the gleam that it has now. I am so pleased with it! And it is not orange! It is a beautiful golden brown. And it spins even better than before - in particular the tension adjustment is smooth and easy now, where it had been stiff and difficult before.

There will be more clear wax to come today, together with a lot of elbow grease to shine it up even more.